ABSTRACT
This study set out to define the aesthetic data contained in the architecture and decoration of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople as well as the aesthetic responses to the ecclesiastical space expressed in sixth-century literary sources. The semantic quality of the architecture of Hagia Sophia, and particularly the mosaic decoration and choice of motifs and colours, substantiates an aesthetic and ideology of light that is closely linked with the divine essence and with religious values. Light acted as a visual unifier and in combination with the mosaics exhibited a metaphysical idea of divine illumination. Whereas the reflective marble and mosaic surfaces served as vehicles of light, light in turn was an agent of divine revelation and salvation by way of divine illumination in the Neoplatonic sense. The prevalence of the cross in the decoration of the church, signifying the transcendental light of divine wisdom, corroborates this interpretation. The sacred space of Hagia Sophia was clearly meant to provide an environment that inspired the contemplation of the divine paradigms and to guide the faithful towards a spiritual reality and truth. The result was a universal and encompassing aesthetic and spiritual experience that becomes fully comprehensible only to those familiar with the visual culture and theological discourses of late antique Byzantium.
